Cookie Policy

Our Cookie Policy

We use cookies to give you a better experience. This Cookie Policy outlines what cookies we
use, why they are used and how to block their use.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that contain data, and are placed on your computer, Smartphone
(or whatever device you choose to access the internet with), by the websites that you visit.

We use cookies when you visit our website for the following reasons:

To keep the website and the details you enter into it secure;

To make our site as easy as possible for you to use;

To help us understand how you use the site; and

To help us understand performance of campaigns.

What are the different types of cookies?

There are a number of different cookie types. They can be categorised by the length of time
they are stored on your device, who manages the cookie and also their purpose.

Session cookies: These are cookies that are automatically deleted when you leave the website
or close your browser. We use them to ensure that your online banking sessions are secure
and also to analyse online customer journeys. They do not store personal information on your
device beyond your current visit. The majority of cookies on our website are Session
Cookies.

Persistent cookies: These are cookies that either stay on your device until you choose to
remove them or until they reach a pre-set expiry date. We use them for analysis purposes.
They enable us to understand whether you have visited our website before. No personally
identifiable information is stored.

First party cookies: These are cookies that are created by and placed on your device by the
owner of the website. This type of cookie is usually essential to the running of the web site.
About half of our cookies fall into this category. Click to view our first party cookies.

Third party cookies: These are cookies that are managed by a third party but are placed on
your device by the owner of the website. This type of cookie is often used to help monitor
activity on the website or to record how visitors to the site got there.

Our Google Analytics and Smart Money People cookies fall into this category. We use
Google Analytics to analyse the effectiveness of our website and the performance of
marketing campaigns – no personally identifiable information is stored.

Necessary cookies: These are cookies that are critical for the website to function. Our online
banking facility relies on these cookies to keep your session secure. These do not collect or
store personally identifiable information.

Performance cookies: We use these cookies to analyse website activity and campaign
performance and therefore help us to understand how we can improve your customer
experience and the effectiveness of our marketing. No personally identifiable information is
stored.

Customisation cookies: These cookies typically store preferences that you select. Because
we use an externally embedded webpage (iframe) to display our independent Smart Money
People rating, a Customisation Cookie from SmartMoneyPeople.com is downloaded as a
result. This cookie detects whether a user is logged in to their website. No personally
identifiable information is stored and this cookie is deleted as soon as you close your web
browser.

Targeting cookies: These are used to provide you with information and adverts that are more
relevant to you when you visit a website. These can be used to develop a profile of you and
help advertisers to understand your age, location, gender, interests and online behaviours.
These may store personally identifiable information. The Vernon does not use targeting
cookies.

How can I block cookies?

If you want to block cookies from this site you'll need to change the 'cookie settings' in your
browser. For more information about cookies and how to block them in your specific
browser, visit www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies

Unfortunately, if you block cookies from this website you will not be able to use many of the
services we offer, for example you will not be able to use our Online Services to manage your
Vernon accounts.

We occasionally link to trusted third-party websites and partners who rely on cookies. These
websites apply their own cookie policies. Trusted websites include but are not limited to:

These are Session Cookies which are downloaded if you
use the Vernon’s online services
(https://onlineservices.thevernon.co.uk/). These are
Necessary Cookies used to maintain the security of our
online services. Online services will not work unless these
cookies are accepted.

These are the third party cookies we use

Google Analytics
_gat
_gid
_ga

These cookies are managed by Google. We use them to collect
information about how many visitors we have, where they have
come from, their demographics and interests and how they use the
site. These cookies are Performance Cookies.
_ga and _gid are Persistent Cookies which are set when you first
visit the site. _ga will automatically expire after 2 years, _gid expires
after 1 day.
_gat is a Session Cookie which is set when you first visit the site and
is removed when you close your browser.

Smart Money
People
bigbite_session
XSRF-TOKEN

_bigbite_session and _XSRF-TOKEN are Session Cookies which
are set when you first visit the site and are removed when you close
your browser.
Because we use an externally embedded webpage (iframe) to display
our independent Smart Money People rating, a Customisation
Cookie called bigbite_session is downloaded as a result. This cookie
detects whether a user is logged in to the smartmoneypeople.com
website. No personally identifiable information is stored and this
cookie is deleted as soon as you close your web browser.
XSRF-TOKEN is a cookie which allows the Vernon site to access
content in an externally embedded webpage (iframe) that is on the
Smart Money People site - without this cookie the content would be
empty/blocked for cross site forgery protection. This cookie is a
Necessary Cookie.

FAQs

Are cookies a security risk?

Cookies are files that cannot execute code, spread viruses or extract personal information from your
computer. They will sit on your device until they expire or are deleted.

Why is the Vernon sending my data to other companies?

Some cookies are not set by the Vernon website, as they are used to provide services on our behalf.
For example, we work closely with Smart Money People who provide services around customer
feedback and also Google Analytics who offer insight into web visitor behavior. The information
transmitted to these services is not personally identifiable.

What happens if I disable cookies?

This depends on which cookies you disable, but in general the site may not operate properly if
cookies are switched off. If you disable all cookies you will be unable to use online banking.

Do cookies mean I could get cold calls or junk mail?

We never use the information collected by cookies to contact you by post, email or phone.

Do cookies compromise my security when I’m signed in to Internet Banking?

The cookies we use are completely safe and secure. In fact, many of them are used to provide
important security features such as protecting your personal details and your accounts.

Can cookies give other people access to my computer’s hard drive?

The cookies we use can’t go into your computer, smartphone or any other web-enabled device and
obtain information about you or your family, or read any material kept on your hard drive.

If I use a public computer, will someone be able to get my details from the cookies?

Our cookies can’t be used by anyone else who has access to the computer you’ve used – so they
can’t find out anything about you, other than the fact that you’ve visited our website. If you use a
public computer to sign in to Internet Banking, our cookies won’t compromise the security of your
personal details and accounts in any way.

You can read more about cookies at allaboutcookies.org.

Glossary

Cookies:

This refers to any data that websites store on a user's device and covers the following
technologies: HTML cookies, JavaScript files, web beacons and Flash cookies (Local Stored Objects).

Persistent cookies:

Cookies are 'persistent' if they cover more than one browser session. They
remain on your device until they expire. This time will vary from cookie to cookie.

Session cookies:

Session cookies only last for the duration of an individual visit and are removed
when you close your browser.

Visit:

A visit is from the point you first open the website to when you close your browser down. This
may also be referred to as a session.

Third Party:

Cookies dropped by a company other than the website owner.

First Party:

Cookies dropped by the website owner.

Cache:

Your browser stores certain files in a cache, including cookies (persistent and session), to
save you time when using the internet.

Devices:

A device could be a desktop computer; laptop; tablet; mobile; web-enabled television; or
gaming console.

Head office:

Telephone calls are recorded and may be monitored for regulatory
and training purposes to help maintain service quality.

*The 'AER' stands for Annual Equivalent Rate and illustrates what the interest rate would be if interest was paid and compounded once each year.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE

Vernon Building Society is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority (registration number 195475). You can check this on the Financial Services Register. We are also a participant of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Details of the scheme can be obtained from www.fscs.org.uk

Telephone calls are recorded and may be monitored for regulatory and training purposes to help maintain service quality.